1. Field of the Invention
Eph2A T-cell epitopes are provided. The Eph2A T-cell epitopes are useful in methods for diagnosing cancer, for quantifying EphA2-reactive T-cells in a patient and in eliciting an immune response to EphA2 and modulating the immune system to recognize cancerous cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
The molecular identification of tumor antigens recognized by the immune system has paved the way for the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer. While many cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-defined tumor-associated epitopes have been applied clinically in cancer vaccinations (Coulie P G, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98: 10290-1295, 2001; Yu J S, et al. Cancer Res 61: 842-847, 2001; Jager E, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97: 12198-12203, 2000; and Nestle F O, et al. Nat Med 4:328-332, 1998.), comparatively few class II-restricted epitopes recognized by CD4+ T cells have been identified and clinically-integrated to date (Topalian S L, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91; 9461-9465, 1994; Chaux P, et al. J Exp Med 189; 767-777, 1999; Pieper R, et al. J Exp Med 189; 757-765, 1999; Wang R F, et al. Science 284; 1351-1354, 1999; Topalian S L, et al. J Exp Med 183; 1965-1971, 1996; Jager E, et al. J Exp Med 191; 625-630, 2000; Zarour H M, et al. Cancer Res 60; 4946-4952, 2000; and Zarour H M, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97; 400-405, 2000). Current paradigms suggest that CD4+ T cells (at least Th1-type) play critical roles in the optimal induction and maintenance of clinically beneficial tumor immunity (Pardoll D M, et al. Curr Opin Immunol 10; 588-594, 1998 and Toes R E, et al. J Exp Med 189; 753-756, 1999). Hence, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes derived from antigens that are unique to, or that are overexpressed on tumor cells may provide effective vaccine components.
The Eph family of molecules constitutes the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinases in the human genome. Eph kinases include two major classes (EphA and EphB), which are distinguished by their specificities for the ligands ephrin-A and ephrin-B, respectively (Eph Nomenclature Committee. Unified nomenclature for Eph family receptors and their ligands. The ephrins, Cell 90; 403-404, 1997). Largely known for their role in neuronal development, recent reports suggest that Eph receptors play a role in carcinogenesis. For example, EphA2 is overexpressed and functionally altered in a large number of different cancers, where it appears to promote the development of disseminated disease. In normal cells, EphA2 localizes to sites of cell-to-cell contact, where it may play a role as a negative regulator of cell growth. In contrast, EphA2 is frequently overexpressed and often functionally dysregulated in advanced cancers, where it contributes to many different aspects of malignant character. These changes in EphA2 have been observed in a wide array of solid tumors, including melanoma, prostate, breast and lung tumors. The highest degree of EphA2 expression among tumors is most commonly observed in metastatic lesions.
In the clinical setting, several findings suggest that T cell-mediated immunity provides a safeguard against the development and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and may effectively mediate the regression of established lesions. RCC lesions are typically infiltrated with large numbers of lymphocytes, though the benefits of leukocytic infiltration upon beneficial clinical outcome remain unknown. While this may reflect variance in the functional subsets of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in these infiltrates, data addressing the prognostic benefit of Th1/Tc1-biased immunity versus Th2/Tc2-biased immunity in RCC patients has been equivocal. A better understanding of the constitutive nature and specificity of CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses in RCC patients will likely provide insights necessary to design, implement and monitor more effective treatment options.